63 pages • 2 hours read
Sui Sin Far (Edith Maude Eaton), Sui Sin Far, Catherine E. FalveyMrs. Spring Fragrance (Masterworks of Literature)
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1994A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
“Mrs. Spring Fragrance”
“The Inferior Woman”
“The Wisdom of the New”
“Its Wavering Image”
“The Gift of Little Me”
“The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese”
“Her Chinese Husband”
“The Americanizing of Pau Tsu”
“In the Land of the Free”
“The Chinese Lily”
“The Smuggling of Tie Co”
“The God of Restoration”
“The Three Souls of Ah So Nan”
“The Prize China Baby”
“Lin John”
“Tian Shan’s Kindred Spirit”
“The Sing Song Woman”
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
“The Wisdom of the New”Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Story Summary: "The Wisdom of the New," Part 1
Wou Sankwei, the only son of the town magistrate, loses his father when he is young. Due to his father’s death, Wou Sankwei’s future is derailed. Instead of completing his schooling in another province, he stays home where his mother and sister waited on him. The only option for employment is to become a fisherman, but his mother tells him that taking on this work would dishonor the family.
Wou Sankwei meets two men who had been to the United States. The first is a peddler who had made and lost a fortune in America. Wou Sankwei meets the second peddler when he is around 19-years-old. Ching Kee had amassed a small fortune while living and working in America. He tells the young man: “’Tis a hard life over there […] but ‘tis worth while. At least one can be a man, and can work at what work comes his way without losing face” (29).
Wou Sankwei asks his mother to give him her blessing to go to America. She agrees but insists she find him a wife who “can comfort [her] for [his] loss” (29).
